Run 3/31/09 Almost There

I am really surprised this run turned out the way it did. I didn't have a decent meal all day. Of course I ate, but it was mostly snacking. I did manage to work in a banana and an orange, which to me, is still snacking (but good snacking). Anyway, instead of the track, I went to the park. I figured I could get in a decent run before it got dark. There were a lot of people out too. I ran three times through the woods, and the last mile on the road since it was kind of dark at that point. Wait a minute. Let me back track.

I didn't run Sunday because for one, I had a ridiculous headache all day. And two, my right head of fibula knee thingy was bothering me. Well, it bothered me towards the end of Saturday's long run. This would be the injury that notified me over a year ago that my old sneaks needed to be replaced. Yeah, I learned the hard way. I took off yesterday as well to rest it. Fast forward to today, and it didn't make an appearance at all.

So back to the run. Mile 3 at 8:58 surprised the heck out of me. It helps that it was downhill. Same deal for mile 5 at 8:59. At that point, I told myself that I couldn't possibly have a negative split in the last mile. It helps that I ran the last mile on the road though. Not as hilly. Thank God. Mile 6 was done in 8:39. What in the world? I'll take it. And with that, I finished up with an overall pace of 9:05.

This is all just amazing. Maybe a month or so ago, I talked about my goal of maintaining a sub-9:00 pace. And I so didn't see it happening anytime soon. But the more I run, the more I believe it could actually happen sooner that I thought. So with that, to all you speed demons, I'm on your heels. LOL!

Have a good night.

Run 3/28/2009

BiM Active is still refusing to post to my blog. But whatever. I'm not going to dwell on that. The important thing is I ran the scheduled 90min, and I kicked ass. That would be 9.58mi @ 9:24 pace!! And get this, today's run felt a whole lot easier than yesterday's 15min burst of speed. I may continue to make short runs fast so that longer runs feel heavenly. That will just be my version of speed work. I'm still trying to get my mind around how much I've improved and how good I felt. I found myself thanking God somewhere around mile 6. Running is such a wonderful gift and I am so grateful. I hope I continue to improve and feel great every time I'm out there. I just hope that's not too much to ask.

So tomorrow, there's 45min on schedule. I'm going to treat it as a recovery run. Well, that's if I get out of bed. It's supposed to rain. And rain is good sleeping weather, so we shall see. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. Happy Running!

Run 3/27/2009 and stuff

I don't know how you speed demons do it. In any case, I did this run pretty fast. May as well make a workout out of it if it's only 15min long. I ran 30min yesterday on the indoor track. No stats and I didn't feel like posting anyway. I have 90min scheduled tomorrow. If I don't punk out, it will be nice and easy and SLOW.

I'm catching up from last weekend. I was in Philly Friday night for music and drinks. Love me some Xochitl. The margaritas are on point and I don't even like tequila. And I love, LOVE the DJs, the mood, the vibe, the atmosphere, the bartenders, the parking garage right around the corner. It's my lounge spot when I feel like loungin'. Then Saturday, I was in NYC for a friend's birthday. I stayed at my aunt's in Brooklyn that night. Well, actually Sunday morning. I got in around 5am, went to bed at 6am, and was up before 9am. I was beat. I hung there with family all day. I finally got home Sunday night after 9pm. Yeah, long weekend. And since then, I've been waking up at the last possible minute before getting ready for work. I haven't cooked a thing. I haven't even prepared my Yerba Mate chai. The only thing I've done is iron my clothes the night before just so I can roll out of bed 20min or so before I need to leave.

And on that note, I'm starving. So I need to handle that. Peace.



P.S.
Since BiMActive is being a total douche and won't post anything, I've had to copy and paste some stuff with another program. Oh well. At least the info is here.

Run 3/18/09 and a recipe

I wasn't feeling quite right, so I cut my 60min run down to 45min. My stomach just wasn't agreeing with me for whatever reason. I can always make up the 15min some other time. Anyway, the run went better than expected considering I was on the track. I'm convinced that I run slower on flat services. It just feels so much harder to me. I felt like I was hardly moving. I had a decent pace though. Go figure. Anyway, I've been all rawlicious lately. Right now, I'm enjoying a frozen ripe banana, blended with a bit of almond milk (homemade - I feel so natural), some cacao powder, and a sprinkle of cacao nibs. Oh, and in case you're interested, my breakfast has been 1/2 cup of soaked steel cut oats, 1/2 mashed banana, 2 tbsp dried coconut, some raisins, some chopped walnuts, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a dash of salt, and a squirt of agave. The first time I ate it, I kept staring at my bowl in disbelief at how good it was. Now, I can't wait to eat breakfast in the mornings. Damn, I just remembered that I'm out of raisins now. Oh well. Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 03/18/09 Up/Downhill: [+3/-0] Time: 06:35 PM Difficulty: 1.8 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 58 F temp; 53% humidity 58 F heat index; winds S 5 Performance Distance: 4.80 miles Time: 0:45:02 Speed: 6.4 mph Pace: 9' 23 /mi Calories: 531 Notes Cool Down = .33mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 44 +0' 21 6.2 -0.2 +3 ft 2 9' 26 +0' 03 6.3 -0.0 0 ft 3 9' 10 -0' 13 6.5 +0.1 0 ft 4 9' 19 -0' 04 6.4 +0.0 0 ft end 9' 20 -0' 03 6.4 +0.0 0 ft Versus average of 9' 23 min/mile

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Run 3/15/09

This run went surprisingly well. My only gripe is that my shoulders were bothering me. I tried to shake it out and loosen up. No such luck. But anyway, it started out feeling easier than it should, although it was faster than usual. I never do a longish run that fast (9:17) in the beginning. It didn't feel like work until after mile 3. That's cool though. I'm still trying to get my mind around maintaining the pace for 6mi. And the pace would be 9:07. How sweet is that? And just think, my week was crap energy wise. As far as my speed goes, I'm doing pretty well now that I think about it. I outweigh a lot of people. No, I'm not a big girl by any means. But I tend to outweigh women who are my size by about 20lbs. I have big, heavy bones. My ankles are 9 inches around. I have a hard time finding anklets that don't cut off my circulation. Yes, there is such a thing as being big boned. If you don't believe me, just try to pick me up. Anyway, I would think it takes more effort to get your speed together if you weigh more than the average chick. So on to other things...it's starting to get a bit warmer. The days are getting longer. And it makes me want to get my raw food on. No, I'm not going raw. But I do want to incorporate more raw foods into my diet. I've had an awesome raw breakfast that I've eaten almost every day this week. I made almond milk this morning. I need to tweak the recipe a bit before I'm satisfied with it. I went to Produce Junction today to get my fruit and veggie on. I think I'll make zucchini pasta with pesto tonight. I don't know. We'll see. Depends on my mood. And on that note, I need to start getting my food prep on. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 26 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -42 ft Date: 03/15/09 Up/Downhill: [+187/-229] Time: 01:25 PM Difficulty: 1.9 / 5.0 Weather: Overcast 45 F temp; 60% humidity 45 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 6.00 miles Time: 0:54:44 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 07 /mi Heart Rate: 179 bpm (Avg) Calories: 664 193 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .5mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 38m 69% 4.21 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 12m 23% 1.37 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 03m 6% 0.37 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 02m 4% 0.24 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.01 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.01 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 17 +0' 10 6.5 -0.1 152 -50 ft 2 9' 11 +0' 04 6.5 -0.1 177 -3 ft 3 9' 03 -0' 04 6.6 +0.0 185 +13 ft 4 9' 06 +0' 01 6.6 -0.0 187 +17 ft 5 9' 08 +0' 01 6.6 -0.0 188 -7 ft 6 8' 53 -0' 14 6.7 +0.1 189 -13 ft Versus average of 9' 07 min/mile

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Run 3/12/09

I'm not back to normal. Yeah, I'm still tired. I'm sure it's a combo of getting over this damn cold, feminine issues, and daylight savings time. Whatever the case, it's not a good formula for running. My stats for the month are gonna suck. I guess that's the way it goes sometimes. Anyway, 30 minutes on the indoor track. So no pretty graphs and such. And on that note, I'm out.

Run 3/10/09

I am beat. I was tired yesterday and didn't run. It's mostly my fault though. I haven't treated myself to Yerba Mate chai (my caffeinated beverage of choice) for about a week. And I never get to bed when I should. I'm just hard headed. Well, that's not going down tonight. I'm taking my butt to bed. Oh, and I ran for 25min today. No stats since it was the indoor track though. Anyway, night all.

Running by feel

I went into work for a few hours yesterday, then I came home and napped. I was just so tired. So yesterday's long run was skipped. Then today, I end up getting my period 3 days early, so that explains why I was so beat. I decided to head out today and not follow any schedule or attempt to make up a run. I figured I'd just run by feel. And it worked out pretty well. I did 5mi at a 9:20 pace. That's the fastest for me yet. I don't know, maybe I was just excited to be out in a skirt, short sleeves, and no socks. Yeah, I never run in socks when it's warm out. It doesn't bother me either. Anyway, I need to prepare for tomorrow. I have no clue what I'm wearing or eating. So I need to jump on that. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 26 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -46 ft Date: 03/08/09 Up/Downhill: [+190/-236] Time: 02:22 PM Difficulty: 1.8 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 65 F temp; 58% humidity 65 F heat index; winds N 7 Performance Distance: 5.01 miles Time: 0:46:46 Speed: 6.4 mph Pace: 9' 20 /mi Heart Rate: 171 bpm (Avg) Calories: 555 190 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .71mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 14m 31% 1.61 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 24m 52% 2.60 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 07m 15% 0.75 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 01m 1% 0.08 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.03 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 36 +0' 16 6.2 -0.2 147 -42 ft 2 9' 31 +0' 11 6.3 -0.1 170 +27 ft 3 9' 19 -0' 01 6.4 +0.0 174 -36 ft 4 9' 30 +0' 10 6.3 -0.1 180 +20 ft 5 8' 47 -0' 33 6.8 +0.4 185 -13 ft Versus average of 9' 20 min/mile

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Run 3/6/09

I finally got to run outside, YIPPEE!! It's was Kool and the Gang, however I felt like I was working with half the normal lung capacity. And it probably was with all the coughing I've been doing this week. I couldn't breathe as deeply as I would have liked to. But I didn't feel like I was struggling to catch my breath either. Maybe my music selection had something to do with that. Apparently, I was listening to "a mix of super soulful broken beat, nu jazz, and future soul tracks." I love Philadelphia for the underground music scene. And that's about all I love about the city. Anyway, I have 90 minutes for tomorrow's long run. That works out to about 9mi or so. I'm not 100%, so I just may run easy until I feel like stopping. I'll have to play it by ear. Music: Electric Soul Vol. 2 by DJ Lil' Dave Too bad this selection isn't available for download anymore. But if you're ever in Philly, you may want to catch one of his venues. Brotha puts his thing down. Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 03/06/09 Up/Downhill: [+3/-0] Time: 07:33 PM Difficulty: 1.4 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 50 F temp; 60% humidity 50 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 2.19 miles Time: 0:20:00 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 08 /mi Heart Rate: 160 bpm (Avg) Calories: 239 182 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .44mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 01m 5% 0.14 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 14m 73% 1.62 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 01m 7% 0.16 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 03m 16% 0.35 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 1% 0.04 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 1% 0.03 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 23 +0' 15 6.4 -0.2 145 +3 ft 2 9' 05 -0' 03 6.6 +0.0 174 0 ft end 8' 20 -0' 48 7.2 +0.6 180 0 ft Versus average of 9' 08 min/mile

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Run 3/5/09

Thank you all for your well wishes! I'm feeling much better. The worst of this is over. I went back to work today. I really needed to. I didn't go in on Monday either. So yeah, lots of catching up to do. I threw my workout clothes in the car. I've had them packed for days now. I figured I'd bring them along if I was feeling halfway decent. And I was. So I stopped at the Y and hopped on the treadmill. I took it slow and didn't try to push myself. For one, I'm still sick and I just hate treadmill running. Two, I'm ALWAYS slower on the treadmill. It feels like it takes more effort. There's just no fun going the same speed with no scenery AND being stuck in your own sweat. At least the wind blows it off if you're actually running somewhere. Anyway, I just wanted to drop an update real quick. Night all! Activity Route: Treadmill Elev. Avg: 0 ft Location: Mount Laurel, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 03/05/09 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 08:30 PM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 3.05 miles Time: 0:30:00 Speed: 6.1 mph Pace: 9' 50 /mi Calories: 321

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Out for the count

I figured I'd post a little update since my head is bangin' and I'm having trouble going back to sleep. I'm sick and I feel like crap. All runs this week have been/will be canceled. I have a horrible cold. I called out of work Monday, not because of the snow, but because I've been coughing myself into a fever. My abs are so damn sore. I'm sure I'm coughing myself into washboard abs. Anyway, I went in yesterday. Various people were asking me if I was okay and trying to give me cough drops for my coughing fits. Mind you, I had taken medicine and was sucking on a cough drop during the coughing fits. It's bad. I hacked myself into watery, red eyes and all. I couldn't even talk. Just cough. Oh, I forgot to mention that congestion set in yesterday. I was blowing my nose and running back and forth to the bathroom to wash my hands. This morning, I wake up feeling a million times worse. Why? Because now there's a brand spanking new migraine to go with it. So at 5:30am, I left a message for my manager. With any luck, I'll feel better by the weekend. Right now I just want to be unconscious. I don't think this migraine will let me have my way though. I hope everyone is feeling better than me.